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Thursday, December 25, 2014

Kwanzaa

Honoring the values of ancient African cultures

by Holly Hartman

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kwanzaa1.html

The year 2014 will see the 48th annual Kwanzaa,
the African American holiday celebrated from December 26 to January 1.
It is estimated that some 18 million African Americans take part in
Kwanzaa.Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, nor is it meant to replace Christmas. It was created by Dr. Maulana "Ron" Karenga,
a professor of Black Studies, in 1966. At this time of great social
change for African Americans, Karenga sought to design a celebration
that would honor the values of ancient African cultures and inspire
African Americans who were working for progress.Kwanzaa is based on the year-end harvest festivals that have taken place throughout Africa for thousands of years. The name comes from the Swahili
phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits of the harvest."
Karenga chose a phrase from Swahili because the language is used by
various peoples throughout Africa.

The Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba)

Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa honors a different principle. These
principles are believed to have been key to building strong, productive
families and communities in Africa. During Kwanzaa, celebrants greet
each other with "Habari gani," or "What's the news?" The principles of
Kwanzaa form the answers.

The Principles of Kwanzaa

umoja (oo-MOH-ja)
Meaning: unity
Action: building a community that holds togetherkujichagulia (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-yah)
Meaning: self-determination
Action: speaking for yourself and making choices that benefit the communityujima (oo-JEE-mah)
Meaning: collective work and responsibility
Action: helping others within the communityujamaa (oo-JAH-ma)
Meaning: cooperative economics
Action: supporting businesses that care about the communitynia (nee-AH)
Meaning: a sense of purpose
Action: setting goals that benefit the communitykuumba (koo-OOM-bah)
Meaning: creativity
Action: making the community better and more beautifulimani (ee-MAH-nee)
Meaning: faith
Action: believing that a better world can be created for communities now and in the future

Colorful Celebrations

Families gather for the great feast of karamu on December 31. Karamu
may be held at a home, community center, or church. Celebrants enjoy
traditional African dishes as well as those featuring ingredients
Africans brought to the United States, such as sesame seeds (benne),
peanuts (groundnuts), sweet potatoes, collard greens, and spicy sauces.

Especially at karamu, Kwanzaa is celebrated with red, black, and
green. These three colors were important symbols in ancient Africa that
gained new recognition through the efforts of Marcus Garvey's Black
Nationalist movement. Green is for the fertile land of Africa; black is
for the color of the people; and red is the for the blood that is shed
in the struggle for freedom.

The Seven Symbols

Celebrants decorate with red, black, and green as well as
African-style textiles and art. At the heart of Kwanzaa imagery,
however, are the seven symbols.

The Seven Symbols of Kwanzaa

kikombe cha umoja
Meaning: the unity cup
Action: Celebrants drink from this cup in honor of their African
ancestors. Before drinking, each person says "harambee," or "let's pull
together."kinara
Meaning: the candleholder, which holds seven candles
Action: It said to symbolize stalks of corn that branch off to form new stalks, much as the human family is created.mazao
Meaning: fruits, nuts, and vegetables
Action: These remind celebrants of the harvest fruits that nourished the people of Africa.mishumaa saba
Meaning: the seven candles that represent the seven principles
Action: A different candle is lit each day. Three candles on the
left are green; three on the right are red; and in the middle is a black
candle.mkeka
Meaning: mat
Action: The symbols of Kwanzaa are arranged on the mkeka, which may
be made of straw or African cloth. It symbolizes the foundation upon
which communities are built.vibunzi (plural, muhindi)
Meaning: ear of corn
Action: Traditionally, one ear of corn is placed on the mkeka for each child present.zawadi
Meaning: gifts
Action: Traditionally, educational and cultural gifts are given to children on January 1, the last day of Kwanzaa.

Monday, December 22, 2014

by Dr. Boyce WatkinsOne of the most interesting things to have happened this month is the unexpected leak of very sensitive messages being
shared among executives at Sony Studios. One of their biggest money
makers is comedian Kevin Hart, who has a multi-picture deal with the
studio netting him millions and the studio even more.

A very revealing piece of information was released when one of the
leaked emails consisted of a conversation between Sony Pictures
co-chair Amy Pascal, studio exec Clint Culpepper, and Sony Entertainment
CEO Michael Lynton. In the discussion, they are appalled that Hart’s
team wants extra money to get him to tweet about the film they are going
to release with him.Their understanding, it seems, had been that Hart’s massive social
media presence would come as part of the $3 million they’d already
agreed to pay him for the film. Apparently, that’s not the case.
Here’s what Mr. Culpepper had to say about Hart’s demand for more
money:

It’s
not as if we paid him 3M and 4M respectively for his last 2 films
thinking he might be nominated. We paid for his ability to open a film
which included his social media savvy. I feel like this is something
that should be negotiated going into the film as opposed to after the
fact. It feels tantamount to buying a car and then upon picking
it up being told that the engine will cost extra. I’m tempted to
suggest we call his bluff. If he doesn’t do his normal routine, his film
will not open as well and his brand will appear diminished and he will-
in fact – be f*cking himself because we have his next 2 immediate
films. And then there’s the social media precedent we’re
setting…especially in light of the fact that Channing is at the same
agency.

Sent from my iPhone

Financial Juneteenth lessons from this story:

On one
hand, some might applaud Hart’s boldness in negotiation. His social
media presence is massive and valuable. Additionally, Sony is going to
earn far more than Hart on the film, and most of Kevin’s projects have
been quite successful.

On the
other hand, some might say that this could be considered bad faith
negotiation, because if things don’t work out, the studio is likely to
remember that you played hard ball earlier in the game. Gaining a
reputatation as someone who is difficult to work with can cost you in
the long-term. Given that studios are taking a huge risk when they put
out a film, Hart’s team may have been able to negotiate something other
than money in exchange for the tweets.

However,
the onus lies on Sony executives, who probably should have added a
precondition to the deal that Kevin give them so many sponsored tweets
in order to promote the project (Culpepper mentions this, but doesn’t
state whether or not this is part of the original contract – when I
negotiated to be a part of a film, it was made clear that I would use my
social media presence to promote the project). The reason that
Culpepper felt compelled to called Kevin’s bluff is because they are
both on the same ship and if that ship sinks, Kevin’s career will sink
with it. So, it might behoove Kevin to do all he can to ensure that his
films are successful – sometimes, we can be so determined to prove a
point that we end up screwing ourselves as a result.

The concept
of Moral Hazard in Finance speaks to the tone of this negotation.
Moral Hazard basically talks about what happens in a negotiation before
and after you sign on the dotted line. If Sony’s people had a concern
about Hart tweeting the film to promote it, they should have realized
that once Kevin signed the contract, an agreement would already be in
place. If that agreement doesn’t specifically include tweets, then
Kevin could easily ask for more money in order to tweet the film. To
say that this was like “being told that the engine would cost extra”
might mean that Culpepper was a victim of not considering the moral
hazard of signing a contract that does not specifically designate what
Kevin Hart is and is not supposed to do.

Social
media platforms have tremendous value, and are literally worth millions
of dollars. Not only are they lucrative, but they are powerful in
educating/influencing the masses. Unfortunately, too many celebrities
are trained to use their social media platforms to take narcissistic
selfies or make money for themselves, while too few actually use these
platforms to institute change, upliftment and education of their people.
This is unfortunate.

Dr
Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor and author of the book, “Black
American Money.” To have Dr Watkins’ commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

If your life is anything like my own, you know that both success and
failure each carry their own set of challenges and opportunities.
Being black only serves to compound these issues, because African
Americans have an economic history that is littered with the symptoms of
severe, long-term racial oppression. We’ve had our money stolen and
hidden from us, and had to work hundreds of years to get the same
opportunities that white men have long been able to take for granted.
In other words, times have always been a little tough.

One of the struggles you may face has to do with being one of the few
people in your family who is doing well economically. Maybe you’re a
first-generation college student. Maybe you have loved ones who
struggle. Either way, you’re doing well and everybody knows it. This
can be a blessing, especially if you want to help others along the way
(I strongly advocate for this). But it can also be stressful to carry
the financial load of lots of people who can’t give very much back.Being in that unique place of economic success (or what might be
perceived as such) means that you’re going to often be called upon as
the Family Bank. People will naturally see you as a possible solution
to their financial woes, primarily because they could never imagine your
problems being as great as their own. So, I wanted to throw out a few
suggestions on how to deal with the pressures that come with being the
biggest financial target of many of your family and friends:1) Pre-empt possible lending conversations by bringing up your own
financial concerns. In other words, don’t be Superman (or woman): I’m
not suggesting that you lie, but I’ve found that little statements like,
“Man, I wish I had enough to pay for all the bills on my table,” lets
the other person know that you have concerns just like they do. This
might make someone more hesitant to come to you with their money issues
because they realize that you have your own.

2) Don’t brag about how much money you have. Humility is one of the
keys to avoiding unnecessary attention. Balling, being flashy or
showing off your money might make you feel good, but it also sends a
very clear signal to any gold digging friend, relative or mate within a
100-mile radius. If you flaunt it, be ready to share it, because if
you’re stingy with the money, people may come to resent you. There is
tremendous value in being humble. Most billionaires I’ve met don’t try
to wear their money on their sleeves.3) Prepare for any loan to be a gift. Money is never more valuable
than a close friendship or relationship with a relative. I say that if
you’re not prepared to give the money away, then don’t loan it. If the
person you loaned the money to decides not to pay you back, you may end
up having to strong arm a loved one in order to get repayment. The
benefits of this move may not outweigh the cost, so try to keep yourself
out of this situation altogether. If you have to choose between money
and an important relationship, then let go of the money and move on.4) Help a little, but don’t enable. Personally, I enjoy making
investments in my loved ones, and I don’t always enjoy giving them
long-term charity. So, if you tell me you need $200, I offer you $50.
That way, I can show my support for your cause without carrying the
entire load for you. If you need me to give you the entire amount, I
might offer you a temporary job. Clearly, if you need the money that
bad, you should be willing to work for it. If you can’t, then that
means the problem is not a big deal for you. I’ll never work harder to
solve your problem than you will yourself.5) Find creative ways to say “no.” My late grandmother Felicia, whom I give credit for being my first Finance professor (you can read about my awesome grandmother here),
had a rule: If she loaned you money and you paid it back on time, you
could always come back for another loan. But if you crossed her just
one time, she’d never loan you money again. So, for the entire 77 years
she was on this planet, I would hear her say to my cousins, “I loaned
you $15 in 1982 and you never paid me back. I told you the rules back
then so now you’ll have to live with it.” Usually, that shut the loan
conversations down immediately.Of course, saying “no” directly can squash any of these issues, and
it might work most of the time. The challenge is that there are some
people who might take offense to being abruptly shut down by someone who
claims to love them. But if you can get away with saying “no” and
establish a reputation for being a tightwad, that might make people more
hesitant to asking you for money. The strategy is up to you, but I can
definitely say from experience that trying to save everyone will leave
you in the poorhouse.Dr Boyce Watkins is a Finance PhD and author of the book,
“Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways
that Feel Good.” To have Dr Watkins’ commentary delivered to your
email, please click here.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Leroy Walker, age 5 born in Pittsburgh, PA. Jose Martinez,
age 5 born in Austin, TX, Matthew McMahan, age 5 born in Seattle, WA, Wang Chu,
age 5 born in St. Louis, MO.

All 4 boys attended public school. After High School, 2 of
the boys received Full Scholarship to their college of choice; however Leroy
and Jose had to take a few remedial math & English classes to help them.

During College life, 3 of the boys had an opportunity to
work in their family business. Jose worked at his Grandfathers restaurant,
Fiesta Tiempo as a cook/Host/Asst. Manager. Matthew worked at his dad’s law
office as a PT paralegal for extra money and sometimes tutors fellow classmates
for extra cash. Wang Chu, worked at his Dads Computer Sales & Repair shop Part-time
on a few weeknights or weekends. Leroy, worked at Taco Bell a few nights a
week.

Before College graduation, all 4 boys entered the career
center to discuss jobs and career opportunities.

Leroy will get his degree in Health Science and become a P.
E. Teacher. Matthew, will get his Law Degree and work as a lawyer at his Dads
law firm soon to be renamed, McMahan & Son Law Firm.

Wang Chu will receive his computer engineering degree and
work at his Dad’s company expanding the technology department. Jose will
receive his business management degree and become the New Manager of his
Grandfathers restaurant with goals of franchising the business in two new
locations.

All Four Boys have degrees and three of the boys have
business background from working in their fathers company. In the next 10
years, these 3 boys will own their business and continue to pass down business
training and ownership to their children.

Plus, their family business will
continue to provide cash flow for other family members as well. Therefore,
everyone in the Chu’s family, McMahan family, and the Martinez family will have
business growth experience and everyone wins!

Leroy Walker is the only exception to business ownership.
Why? Is it because Leroy Walker is African American? Is it because Leroy wasn’t
provided the same educational goals as the rest of the boys? Is it because
Leroy’s parents or grandparents didn’t set up a foundation of ownership which
could teach Leroy business skills to allow him to own his own business?

Whatever the case may be, one thing is obvious, as a
minority, African Americans continue to lag behind in ownership, while other
minority groups surpass them.

More business development and training is needed to help African Americans to become more successful.